NCH became the first health care provider in Collier County to offer Ion technology from Intuitive for lung biopsy procedures, which offers enhanced precision and efficiency, company officials said. Ion works by translating a CT scan of the patient’s lung to build a 3D model to map a pathway to the nodules that need biopsy. Using this detailed map, a physician can navigate the ultra-thin robotic catheter into the lung during the procedure. Ion’s fully articulating catheter enables doctors to reach deep into the lungs in order to obtain a tissue sample to aid diagnosis. The combination of small catheter diameter and stability gives surgeons using Ion access to small nodules in hard-to-reach places that could allow biopsies to, in some cases, reveal cancer.